Biometric Video Game Helps Kids Control Their Anger

Boston Children’s Hospital has developed a video game called RAGE Control that helps children deal with their temper better. The game requires the player to shoot at enemy spaceships while leaving the good ones alone. There’s a biometric component to the game that requires the player to attach a sensor to one of their fingers so their heart rate can be monitored.

As long as the young player is able to keep their heart beat below a certain level, they can keep playing the game. When the heart rate goes too high, the player loses the ability to shoot and must calm down in order to continue.

RAGE Control has proven to be effective for children between the ages of nine and 17. Dr. Joseph Gonzalez-Heydrich, co-creator of the game and senior investigator on the study commented that:

The connections between the brain’s executive control centers and emotional centers are weak in people with severe anger problems. However, to succeed at RAGE Control, players have to learn to use these centers and the same time to score points.